Become a Nurse in North Dakota – Licensure & Requirements

North Dakota Nursing Salaries

^{Nursing salaries above were retrieved from the Bureau of Labor Statistics — May 2025 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates for North Dakota statewide, Bismarck, Fargo, ND-MN, Grand Forks, ND-MN, and Minot, ND — data as of May 2025, retrieved September 2026.}

There are many paths to become a nurse in North Dakota. The path you take will mostly depend upon the type of nurse you’d like to become and your current or prospective level of education. The higher your level of education, the more opportunities you’ll have to choose where and how you pursue your career in nursing.

All North Dakota nursing license applications, renewals, and reactivations — for RNs, LPNs, and APRNs alike — are now submitted online through the North Dakota Board of Nursing Nurse Portal; paper applications are no longer accepted.

In addition to nursing salaries in North Dakota, you’ll find information on acquiring and maintaining several types of North Dakota nursing licensure. We’re constantly making updates, but with the speed of change in the healthcare sphere it’s difficult to stay current. If you have any comments or suggestions for our information on nursing in North Dakota, please email us at info@nursinglicensemap.com!

Compact State Status

North Dakota is a Nursing Licensure Compact state that transitioned to the enhanced compact on January 19, 2018. Multistate practice privileges apply only to a nurse who qualifies for and holds an eligible multistate RN or LPN license — which requires naming North Dakota as the nurse's primary state of residence, among other eligibility criteria set by the Nurse Licensure Compact. A single-state North Dakota license does not carry multistate practice privileges. APRN licensure is not part of the compact — all APRN licenses are single-state.

Registered Nurse (RN) in North Dakota

Education: Completion of a board-approved nursing education program.

Examination: NCLEX-RN

Licensure paths: RN licensure is available by examination (for new graduates) or by endorsement (for nurses already licensed in another state). Endorsement applicants must hold an active, unencumbered RN license from another state, or an active Nurse Licensure Compact multistate RN license if claiming that state as their primary residence.

Application: Submitted through the ND Board of Nursing Nurse Portal.

Renewal: RNs must complete at least 400 hours of practice within the last four years and 12 contact hours of continuing education within the last two years. Renewal opens October 1 and closes December 31 every two years.

Learn more on how to become a registered nurse.

Prescriptive Authority in North Dakota

North Dakota advanced practice registered nurses may apply for prescriptive authority, including for controlled substances. To include prescriptive authority in their scope of practice, applicants must provide evidence of 30 contact hours of pharmacotherapy education completed within the three years immediately before applying. State prescriptive authority alone does not confer DEA controlled-substance authority; a DEA registration number is required before an APRN may write prescriptions for controlled substances.

Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) in North Dakota

APRNs in North Dakota are defined as nurse midwife, nurse anesthetist, clinical nurse specialist, or nurse practitioner.

Education: Completion of an accredited graduate-level advanced practice registered nurse program.

Examination: Varies for different certifications.

Certification: Certification by a national nursing certifying body.

Fees:

• $125 Initial Licensure Fee
• $30 Criminal History Record Check (CHRC) Processing Fee for initial applications

Additional Information: An active RN license — North Dakota or Nurse Licensure Compact multistate — is required for application. Applicants without one must first apply for RN licensure by endorsement.

Renewal: Current APRN renewal fees are Advanced Practice RN Renewal $220; Advanced Practice RN with Prescriptive Authority Renewal $295; Advanced Practice License Only Renewal (Compact RN) $80; and Advanced Practice with Prescriptive Authority Only Renewal (Compact RN) $155. Along with state renewal, APRNs are expected to also renew their national certification. Continuing education requirements must meet or exceed 12 contact hours within the last two years. APRNs with prescriptive authority are required to complete 15 hours of pharmacotherapy education within the last two years, which can be attributed to their 12 contact hours for RN/APRN renewals. In addition, all nursing licensees renewing a North Dakota license must complete at least 400 hours of practice within the last four years.

Learn more on how to become an advanced practice registered nurse.

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in North Dakota

Education: Completion of an approved nursing education program.

Examination: NCLEX-PN

Fees:

• $125 Licensure by Examination
• $150 Licensure by Endorsement
• $30 Criminal History Record Check (CHRC) Processing Fee for initial applications

Endorsement: LPNs applying for licensure by endorsement must meet one of the following within the last four years: 400 hours of licensed nursing practice, completion of their nursing program, or completion of a board-approved refresher course.

Renewal: LPNs must complete at least 400 hours of practice within the last four years as well as 12 contact hours within the last two years. However, applicants who obtained licensure by examination will not need to pursue contact hours during their first renewal period, as their academic coursework can be used to meet that requirement, per Board renewal policy.

Learn more on how to become a licensed practical nurse.

Information Disclosure:

^{RN, LPN, and APRN licensure, fee, renewal, continuing-education, and compact-status requirements above were confirmed current against the North Dakota Board of Nursing and North Dakota's operative administrative code (NDAC 54-02 and 54-05-03.1) in September 2026.}